Door or window frame



Nov. 28, 1967 H. DEN BESTEN DOOR OR WINDOW FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25, 1965 f t/'25 U I J 1 y I I l FIG Nov. 28, 1967 H. DEN BESTEN 3,354,535

DOOR OR WINDOW FRAME Filed Oct. 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,354,586 DOQR 0R WINDOW FRAME Henrikus den Beaten, Kapelle an der- Ijssel, Netherlands, assignor to Stamicarhon N.V., Heerlen, Netherlands Filed 0st. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 505,157

Claims priority, application Netherlands, Oct. 23, 1964,

2 Claims. (Cl. 495il4) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE An improved frame assembly for doors and windows is described wherein vertical or horizontal members of the frame are made up of two halves, and there is provided a common backing member of backing up the two half sections for each of the frame members. The backing member is interposed between the frame sections and a support frame which is provided about the window or door opening.

Brief description of invention The present invention relates to a door or window frame. More particularly, the invention relates to a door or window frame having vertical post members and head member, and, optionally a bottom member, which are divided, along a plane parallel tothe wall, into two parts. The parts are angular sections made from a thin sheetlike material and they are connected to the inside of the wall opening by backing members or similar attachment means.

A construction of the above type offers the advantage that the frame, together with the door, can be mounted in a simple way in the final operation, so that accidental damage during construction is reduced to a minimum.

In a well known construction chocks or wedges glued to the inside of one of the angular parts of a door or window frame are connected to the sides of the wall openings, the other part being connected to these chocks with the aid of attachment means fitted from the outside. The joint between the parts is covered, at the reveal of the frame, with a fillet, which at the same time forms the rabbet for the door. In this construction the fixing screws of the other part remain visible, which detracts from the outward appearance of the frame.

The present invention provides a construction which exhibits no visible attachment means, permits rapidly mounting and demounting of the frame and door, and does not require any after-treatment or finishing treatment of the frame or the door after these have been put into place.

The above objects are achieved, according to the in vention, by employing angular parts made of a thermoplastic material, which are snap-fastened to each other.

When the construction of the invention is employed, the frame may be mounted as follows. The part of the frame in which the door is to be hung, or has already been hung, is fitted with backing pieces and is placed in the wall opening. The backing pieces are then screwed to the supporting frame in the brick work. Shims are,

fitted between the backing pieces and the supporting frame to eliminate any variations in the size of the supporting frame. The second part of the frame can then he slipped onto the backing pieces, and as a result the screws connecting the backing pieces to the supporting frame are hidden from view, after which the two parts are snap-fastened to each other.

The parts of the frame may to this end he provided, at the reveal of the frame, with raised edges which are gripped by a trough-shaped fillet and are clamped against a ridge on the backing pieces. As a result, the parts are 3,354,585 Patented Nov. 23, 1 5567 interconnected at the reveal of the frame and the joint between the parts is hidden from view and, in addition, a rabbet for the door is formed. The trough-shaped fillet and the backing pieces may also be made of a thermoplastic material.

The use of plastics offers the advantage that, after being mounted, the frame will not warp through drying or through the influence of moisture and temperature variations. The door will consequently always retain a proper fit. In addition, a frame made of a plastic material requires less maintenance, as painting becomes superfluous.

The parts made of a thermoplastic material may be manufactured in a comparatively inexpensive way by injection-moulding or extrusion. The frame and the door can be finished to a complete fit in the factory, so that the only operation that needs to be done on the side is the correct attachment of the backing pieces to the supporting frame, which may be done rather rapidly without the necessity to hinge, fit, plane, and paint the door.

Due to the employment of snap-fastening means, to which purpose most plastics lend themselves admirably, the frame can be easily mounted and demounted. Thus, if it is desired to replace or reposition the frame and door, this may be done, Without any demolition or damage to the frame, by removing the trough-shaped fillet and taking off one part of the frame. The other frame part with the backing pieces can then be unscrewed. Thus, it is possible, for instance, to change an inwardly opening door into an outwardly-opening door without damage to the frame or the wall finish.

The metal parts of the doors can be fitted directly to the backing pieces. To this end, one of the frame parts is provided with recesses to receive the hinges and keeper plate which are fitted to the backing pieces.

The invention will be further described with reference to the attached drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in horizontal section through a frame according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view in elevation of the frame post at a hinge;

FIGURE 3 is a view in elevation of the frame post at the lock;

FIGURE 4 is a view in horizontal section through a frame post and a door which can be opened through an arc; and

FIGURE 5 is a view in horizontal section through a modified frame post for large wall thicknesses.

Detailed discussion of invention In FIG. 1, a supporting frame 2 is shown fitted to the wall 1 by means of anchors 3. The frame may be brickedin in the usual way with the aid of a center when the wall is erected. The supporting frame projects slightly from the plane of the wall on both sides so that, after the wall finish 4, such as a layer of plaster, dry wall or tiles, has been applied the supporting frame becomes fiush therewith.

The frames and doors are positioned during one of the final steps in the building operation. Frame post 5, in which door 6 has been hung, is slipped into the opening and over the supporting frame. This post part of the frame is provided along at least some portion of its length with a backing member 7 having projections 8 on its longitudinal edges which engage mating recesses in body frame post 5. Frame post 5 and the backing member 7 are made of a suitable plastic material, such as polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride, which on the one hand, is sufiiciently resilient to enable a snap-action engagement and, on the other hand, of sufiiciently strong structural integrity to be used for door and window frames. The backing members are especially provided and fitted opposite the hinge unit 9 and the latch 10 of the door and, furthermore, at those places where necessary to properly attach the frame in the door opening. The prefabricated door and frame post are molded or finished to a complete fit so that the only operation that needs to be done for properly hanging the door is the correct attachment of the backing members to the supporting frame. The door and the frame then require no further shaping.

One of the hinge blades 11 is attached to the backing member 7 by means of one or more tap bolts 12. If the frame and the door are not delivered at the site as a structural unit, this attachment is effected after frame post 5 has been positioned into place. Frame post 5 is preferably provided with recesses for receiving the hinge blades, so that the hinge blades lie within the profile of the door frame. The backing members are fitted to the supporting frame by means of wood screws 13 and 14. One or more shim plates 15 may be placed between the backing members and the supporting frame to eliminate any deviations from the standard size or inclination of the supporting frame that may have arisen during the erection of the wall. These shims can be slipped under the screws 13 and 14 from the side.

When the frame has been placed in position and screws 13 and 14 have been tightened, the hinge blades are attached to the frame by means of screws 16, preferably extending into the supporting frame. The tap bolts 12 are removed and replaced by wood screws extending into the supporting frame. It is also possible to provide the hinge blades with separate holes for fitting the backing members. In such a case, the tap bolts 12 need not be removed after the hinges have been screwed to the supporting frame. The second frame post 5' is then slipped onto the backing members and snap-fastened into place by engaging projections 8. The fixing screws 13 are consequently hidden from view.

Posts 5 and 5 of the frame are angular in section, the legs 17 running parallel and the legs 18 perpendicular to the wall. The legs 17 are bent at right angles so that their edges 19 are in resilient contact with the plaster coating or tiles 4 of the wall. The legs 17 and 18 are connected by means of an angular intermediate part 20 which, at the reveal of the frame, forms a salient angle so that the pin of the hinge hardly projects beyond the plane of surface 17. A construction of this type is suitable for a normal door which can be opened through an arc of about 110. The ends of the legs 18 and 18' point toward each other and are provided with raised edges 21 and 21 which engage a ridge 22 of the backing member. These raised edges are capped, at the reveal of the frame, by a trough-shaped fillet 23, which directly links the two body frame parts and serves also as a stop for the door. This fillet may alsobe made of a thermoplastic material and is snap-fastened to the raised edges 21 and 21' of the parts 5 and 5 by means of projections 24.

On the lock side of the frame the part 5 is provided with a recess for receiving the keeper plate 25 and the backing member is provided with recesses 26 and 27 for receiving the lock bolts 28 (not shown). The keeper plate is suitably attached to the frame as by means of screws 29. These screws may extend into the supporting frame 2.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 4 the legs 17 and 18 of the frame posts are directly interconnected. The hinge pin 9 now protrudes from the plane of the wall 17, so that this construction is suitable for a door that can be opened through an arc of 180. The supporting frame 2 is made slightly wider than the total wall thickness so that the hinges can be screwed sufliciently securely to the supporting frame.

FIG. 5 shows a construction for large wall thicknesses. The width of the backing members and the fillet 23 are adapted to the greater wall thickness. To obtain a snug contact between the fillet and the backing members, these parts are interconnected by snap-action locking or attaching means 30. The backing pieces are provided with grooves 31 to impart resilience to the backing members and to enable the material of the backing pieces to give way when fillet 23 is fitted. The posts 5 and 5 are provided at their inside with longitudinal ridges 32 which protrude into recesses 33 present between the backing members and the supporting frame 2. The ridge and groove connection prevents movement of the posts in a direction parallel of the wall, whereas the snap-fastenable engagement of the posts by means of the fillet locks the posts against movement in a direction perpendicular to the wall.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved frame assembly for doors and windows in a wall opening having a frame support provided thereon, comprising:

two vertical post members and a top header member, all of which are divided into two halves in a plane parallel to the wall, with each half being in the form of an angular frame section made from a resilient thermoplastic material, said frame sections further being adapted to be disposed at and around the wall opening in spaced attachment relationship to the wall and the frame support thereon said frame sections being provided with raised edges at the reveal of the frame for receiving a trough-shaped fillet which is clamped onto the frame sections at said raised edges by a snap-fastenable engagement with the raised edges, and including recesses in the frame sections of said two vertical post members for receiving hinge plates and .keeper plates which are secured to respective backing members for each of said vertical post members,

a trough-shaped fillet made of a thermoplastic material for clamping engagement with the raised edges of said frame sections, and

a separate common backing member for backing up the halves of each vertical post member, said common backing member being interposed between said frame supports and said frame sections to space said sections from the frame supports, each said common backing member having a central ridge projecting along a longitudinal axis of the backing member for insertion between the separate half sections which make up each vertical post member and including in said central ridge a retaining means for contacting and retaining edge portions of said half sections.

2. A frame according to claim 1 and further including shims fitted between said backing members and said frame supports.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,245,018 10/1917 Percbonis 49-504 2,582,765 l/1952 Brew 52-212 3,184,016 5/1965 Smith et al 52-2l2 FOREIGN PATENTS 79,265 10/ 1962 France. 1,364,473 5/1964 France.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN IMPROVED FRAME ASSEMBLY FOR DOORS AND WINDOWS IN A WALL OPENING HAVING A FRAME SUPPORT PROVIDED THERE ON, COMPRISING: TWO VERTICAL POST MEMBERS AND A TOP HEADER MEMBER, ALL OF WHICH ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO HALVES IN THE PLANE PARALLEL TO THE WALL, WITH EACH HALF BEING IN THE FORM OF AN ANGULAR FRAME SECTION MADE FROM A RESILIENT THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, SAID FRAME SECTIONS FURTHER BEING ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED AT AND AROUND THE WALL OPENING IN SPACED ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIP TO THE WALL AND THE FRAME SUPPORT THEREON SAID FRAME SEC TIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH RAISED EDGES AT THE REVEAL OF THE FRAME FOR RECEIVING A TROUGH-SHAPED FILLET WHICH IS CLAMPED ONTO THE FRAME SECTIONS AT SAID RAISED EDGES BY A SNAP-FASTENABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RAISED EDGES, AND INCLUDING RECESSES IN THE FRAME SECTIONS OF SAID EDGES TWO VERTICAL POST MEMBERS FOR RECEIVING HINGE PLATES AND KEEPER PLATES WHICH ARE SECURED TO RESPECTIVE BACKING MEMBERS OF EACH OF SAID VERTICAL POST MEMBERS, A TROUGH-SHAPED FILLET MADE OF A THEMOPLASTIC MATERIAL FOR CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RAISED EDGES OF SAID FRAME SECTIONS, AND A SEPARATE COMMON BACKING MEMBER FOR BACKING UP THE HALVES OF EACH VERTICAL POST MEMBER, SAID COMMON BACKING MEMBER BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FRAME SUPPORTS AND SAID FRAME SECTIONS TO SPACE SAID SECTIONS FROM THE FRAME SUPPORTS, EACH SAID COMMON BACKING MEMBER HAVING A CENTRAL RIDGE PROJECTING ALONG A LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE BACKING MEMBER FOR INSERTION BETWEEN THE SEPARATE HALF SECTIONS WHICH MAKE UP EACH VERTICAL POST MEMBER AND INCLUDING IN SAID CENTRAL RIDGE A RETAINING MEANS FOR CONTACTING AND RETAINING EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID HALF SECTIONS. 